Problem: Solve for $x$ : $-14 = x + 2$
Solution: Subtract $2$ from both sides: $ \begin{eqnarray} \\ \hphantom{-14 {- 2}} &\hphantom{=}& \hphantom{x} \\ -14 &=& x + 2 \\ \\ {-2} && {-2} \\ \end{eqnarray} $ $ \begin{eqnarray} \\ -14 {- 2} &=& x \\ \end{eqnarray} $ Simplify. $ x = -16$